Loom for weaving



July 30,- 1929. s, TURNER ET L I 1,722,607

LOOM FOR WEAVING Filed Sept. 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 1 July 30, 1929. s. TURNER ET AL Q 1, 29 0 LOOM FOR WEAVING Filed Sept. 26, l928 2 heets-Shee 2 a b 6 .L. I

IIIIIIII I/I/I/I/I/I/I/AIII ume/ 2 .5%

Patented July 39, 1929.

UNETEST' "1 time SAMUELTURNER AND THOMAS EASTAUGH, OF ROOHDALE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO SAMUEL TURNER & COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SPOTLAND, ROCHDALE, ENGLAND. 1

' LOOM FOR waavrnegf Application filed September 28, 1928, Serial N'o. 308,397, and in Great Britain July 2, 1927.

This invention relates to looms for weaving with more particular reference to those which are fitted with automatic weft replenishing mechanism brought into operav tion either by the weft fork mechanism (in the event of the weft breaking for example) or by weft feeler mechanism, the function of which is to contact with or feel the co 3 of yarn in the shuttle and actuate the weft replenishing mechanism when the cop is ex haustod or has reached a predetermined degree of exhaustion.

The invention has particular reference to weft feeler mechanisms of the kind having a slidable feeler member operated by contact with the weft cop in the shuttle and a rotatable arm controlled thereby and movable when replenishment is required into the path of a hammer which controls the re plenishing action. In known constructions of this nature the slidable feeler has acted upon the rotatable arm through the intermediary of rods and levers or a rod or a lever and a backward extension of the arm in close proximity thereto to move it out of the path of the hammer so long as suflicient weft was on the cop. In a further construction it has been proposed to provide a rotatable feeler having one arm adapted to enter an aperture in the shuttle so as to contact with the weft therein while the other arm of said feeler is formed as a hook member adapted to engage the hammer when a predetermined degree of exhaustion is reached.

t is the object of our invention to provide an improved mechanism of the above character and the invention consists in a weft feeler mechanism of the kind referred to comprising a rotatable arm adapted to coact with the weft replenishing mechanism and a slidable feeler directly connected to said arm.

The feeler for all practical purposes is a slidable member although by virtue of the direct connection with the rotatable arm the motion of the feeler is not in the strictest sense a linear one. The direct connection consists in a pivotal joint betweenthe slidable feeler and the rotatable arm or some integral part or extension thereof.

' The invention also consists in weft feeler mechanism of the kind referred to comprising a rotatable arm having a sleeve mounted upon a pin and movable owlng to its own weight into the path of a hammer which is adapted to rotate the transferrer shaft and a slidable feeler attached to the sleeve and arranged to move the arm out of the path of the hammer so. long as there is a predetermined amount of weft on the cop.

The invention also consists in mounting the feeler so that it can be adjusted by screw-operated means so that a very-finedegree of adjustment may be attained.

The invention also consists in the provision of means for moving the feeler, when a change of weft taking place, so that it will not be caught by the shuttle or front of shuttle box. l

The invention also consists in the pr0vision of means for throwing the feeler mechanism out of action when desired without in any way interfering with the operation of the loom.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one mode of carrying'out the invention Figure 1 is a more-or less diagrammatic plan showing one end of the breast beam of a loom and sley with parts mounted and arranged thereon in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the feeler mechanism, and a Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing thedfeeler with parts in a different position, an

Figure 4 is a plan of a'pirn for use with the feeler.

In carrying our invention into effect we may apply our improvements to existing looms or to looms specially built for the purpose, and such looms areprovided with the usual accessories'incidental to weft replenishing looms, that is to say, with some'form of magazine (not shown) for the cops and with a transferrer on a hammer shaft for the purpose of pushing a full cop into the shuttle and simultaneously ejecting therefrom the empty cop whenever the weft requires replenishing.

We also'provide the usual weft fork and hammer mechanism (not shown) for bringing into operation the weft replenishing means such as is commonly employed on automatic weft replenishing looms, but in addition we provide also weft feeler mechanism for actuating the weft replenishing means and such weft feeler mechanism we make much more accurately adjustable and um m much more delicate in operation than has hitherto been found possible so that the finest counts may be successfully employed in the loom.

In one convenient construction shown in Figures 1' to 3 we form our weft feeler mechanism on the weft fork principle, that is to say, we provide a balanced weft feeler 0 which is formed with or which controls an arm or hook member (Z, both mounted on a bracket 0 secured to the transfer shaft e of the change mechanism, co-operating with a hammer 6 so arranged that so" long as there is any yarn on the cop the feeler on coming into contact with the yarn will move the hook out of the path of the hammer into the position shownin Figure 3 so that the transferrer mechanism will not be operated, but so soon as a: predetermined degree of exhaustion has been reached the feeler will not move sufiiciently to actuate the hook and thereupon the transferrer mechanism will immediately be brought-into operation to push a fresh cop into the shuttle at the same time discharging the used cop therefrom. For example in such conditions the hammer e rotates the transfer shaft 6 which in turn rotates a swivel so that the lattercomes into the path of a hunter on the sley in order that, on the forward motion of the latter, the hammer is operated in a manner well known.

The pivot b is located in a slot 6 as shown in Figure 2 and the sleeve at is attached to the main feelersupport by a spring Z so that the feeler mechanism comprising feeler 0, arm (Z, pivot Z) and sleeve a is movable as a whole under control of the spring.

By virtue of the allowable movement of the sleeve (0 the hammer 6 will first of all when hitting (Z extend the spring and draw the feeler mechanism forward relative to its support, taking up in fact lost' motion between the two. The feeler 0 will thus be immediately drawn clear of the shuttle and shuttle box so that no damage will be done during transfer. WVhen the lost motion has been taken up the whole carriage will pivot about the axis of the shaft '6 and will rotate the said shaft. It will be noticed furthermore that when a full pirn is present and the arm (Z in its uppermost position the provision of the spring and sliding pivot arrangement will prevent any damage to the weft or feeler should the pirn be execessively full or irregularly wound, since excess pressure on a will simply cause the pivot to slide forward in the slot Furthermore, the feeler mechanism may be arranged to be adjustable by means of a sliding block f and two screws 9 or by other screw-operated means so that a very fine adjustment may thus be obtained.

The weft feeler mechanism may be operated by an independent and preferably double-acting cam h. arranged upon the bottomdr-iving shaft 2' or otherwise, and a lever mechanism la controlled by the same.

Our improved arrangement of weft feeler mechanism enables us readily to throw the same out of operation so that the loom may operate without'such mechanism when desired, and for this purpose we provide a spring'clip cl (Figure 1) or the like which may be secured upon the machine in such a manner that it may support the feeler hook (Z in such a position that it can never drop into contact with the hammer.

Moreover we have produced a new form of pirn 0a (Figure ,4) having a parallel portionw which results in a parallel part of the cop, so that the feeler mechanism will operate satisfactorily even though the shuttle be displaced by a substantial amount from its proper or normal position.

It will be understood that the invention is I not to be'limited tothe foregoing'details of construction which are given by way of example'only, nor is it to be limited to any particular type or construction of weft replenishing loom to which it is to be applied.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1+- v A weft feeler mechanism for weft replenishing looms, including a transfer shaft, a hammer, means for rocking said hammer, a bracket secured to said shaft, a sleeve having bearings rotatably mounted in said bracket, said bracket having elongated slots movably receiving the bearings of said sleeve, spring means normally retainin the sleeve near one end of the slots, a liook member cooperating with said hammer and secured to said sleeve and adapted to turn andmove bodily therewith, said hook mem berbeing moved forwardly against the tension of. said spring when engagedwith and actuated by the hammer.

In testimony. whereof we have signed our names to this specification; i

- SAMUEL TURNER.

THOMAS EASTAUGH. 

